1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to drilling mud additives based on a polymer mixture, to the use of the drilling mud additives, and to a process for their production.
2. Statement of Related Art
To obtain optimal results when drilling for oil or natural gas, the drilling mud has to be adapted to the particular layers of rock through which the drill passes. In the case of water-based drilling muds, rheology is adjusted and the losses of water under pressure are reduced by the use of bentonite or other clays, such as attapulgite for example, and water-soluble polymers, such as for example starch, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC), carboxymethyl hydroxyethyl cellulose (CMHEC), as protective colloids.
Since at present increasingly deeper pools and more difficult formations are having to be developed, the drilling mud also has to meet increasingly more stringent requirements, particularly with respect to temperature stability and electrolyte compatibility. These stringent requirements cannot be satisfied by the water-soluble polymers mentioned above, such as starch, CMC, HEC or CMHEC, because at temperatures above 120.degree. to 150.degree. C. they generally undergo such rapid thermal degradation that their economical use is no longer possible.
It is also known from the prior art that mixtures of water-soluble polymers based on polysaccharides, for example CMC, HEC, CMHEC or starch, and synthetic polycarboxylic acids can be used in drilling muds. Although the rheological properties and other properties of drilling muds can be better adapted to practical requirements by combinations such as these, their temperature stability cannot be positively influenced by such additives.
The publications cited below represent a synopsis of the relevant prior art.
Published German application 26 22 409 describes drilling fluids consisting of water-soluble alkenyl acid polymers, for example ethyl acrylate/methyl acrylate acid copolymer, and water-soluble polysaccharide derivatives, for example a hydroxyethyl cellulose.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,241 describes drilling fluids containing
(a) an aqueous mineral salt solution,
(b) clay minerals forming a filter cake at the wall of the borehole,
(c) a polyethylene glycol and
(d) at least one water-dispersible thickener, for example carboxyalkyl hydroxyalkyl cellulose;
The above drilling fluid has improved liquid loss properties.
Chemical Abstracts, Vol. 100 (1984), Abstract No. 212787v, describes drilling fluids containing a bentonite, optionally a thickener, such as carboxymethyl cellulose, and a polyacrylate having a calcium complexing power of more than 300 mg/g, such as sodium polyacrylate.
Chemical Abstracts, Vol. 100 (1984), Abstract No. 212788w, describes drilling fluids containing a bentonite, optionally a thickener, such as carboxymethyl cellulose, and a polyacrylate having a calcium complexing power of more than 300 mg/g for preventing gel formation in the presence of salts and cement.
Newly developed synthetic polymers, as described for example in published German application 31 44 770, and 34 04 491, and published European application 0 122 073 and 0 131 124, can be used at temperatures of up to about 200.degree. C., but are considerably more expensive than the conventional polysaccharide-based polymers due to the high cost of the special polymers used. Accordingly, the economy of the drilling process is greatly reduced where these polymers are used.